All You Need to Know About the Steam Room
at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
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Steam Room review highlights
... we ate at. We visited the spa and the sauna and steam room were not working. Highly recommend the Temazcal in a...
... had the Sandos Special and loved it. The spa has a sauna, steam room, and these amazing baths. Hot tub is great! There is also...
... to chill and you can use the Spa Pool with Jacuzzi's, Steam Room and Sauna as part of your all inclusive package (you just...
Featured steam room amenities
Reviews that mention steam room
Write a reviewStayed during New Years in the adults only section. While the resort was packed, but they had plenty of friendly service to ensure a good stay. The adults only beach section was quiet and had chairs in the sun or set pack under palm trees and palapas. The sandy beach is short and the water does have lots of rocks and is difficult to walk out in. Lunch at the select club restaurant is good. Los Lirios was the best of the 3 restaurants we ate at. We visited the spa and the sauna and steam room were not working. Highly recommend the Temazcal in a small group, it was a great experience. Rooms are large, quiet, and basic. The night shows were entertaining even for adults.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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+1
I'll start with the bad, just to get it out of the way. The only negative I had about my trip was the initial check-in procedure. The man who checked us in didn't say one word, he was on the phone the whole time. He did not explain to us the key system or the towels. I had to ask someone after to explain how to get inside of our rooms. (Your room key is this wristband you have to wear during your entire stay. It was a bit uncomfortable, my partner ended up taking his off because it was placed on way too tight.) We didn't know we were supposed to receive towel cards that would be exchanged for towels, apparently if you check out and don't have those cards you will be charged a fee. I am glad someone told us this eventually, so we were able to get the towel cards. He was the only staff member who didn't seem personable or trained well.
Now let's get to the good stuff!
Adults Only - Worth it?
We stayed in the Adults Only section. The pool and hot tub in the area was nice, but it did get a bit crowded, and the hot tub wasn't as warm as I liked. The best hot tub is actually at the spa area, which anyone can use. The spa is wonderful, but we'll get to that. When we go back, I would stay in the adult section again, especially if it's on sale again. It's quiet. Only downside is that it's "far" from the rest of the resort. Room was lovely and kept clean every day. We didn't spend too much time in the room, but the bed was comfortable and everything was great.
THE ANIMALS!
As soon as we arrived we saw spider monkeys right outside our room. Actually we saw a baby, too! It made my whole trip. I loved the coati everywhere, as well as all the cats... Seeing the cats everywhere made me so happy. We also saw beautiful birds, and got to visit the macaw birds that are kept at the plant nursery. The farm animals looked well cared for, but we wanted to know more about them. Sadly we didn't get a chance to ask, they began renovating the farm animal space a couple of days into our trip.
Food
My boyfriend and I are both vegan, and we were assured that the resort would have great options for us. They have an on-site dinner restaurant that's completely vegan (well, one item had honey) and it was DELICIOUS! My only complaint for the vegan restaurant is that the portions were small, so we actually ended up going to a buffet later on in the evening for a bit more food. But the service at the vegan restaurant was great and we tried almost everything on the menu. Plus, it's right by the water, so it's really lovely to eat there at sunset with a great view. The other restaurants were accommodating for us, even making us our own pizza. We had a card written in Spanish that we carried around in case we had any issues with explaining our diet, it definitely helped. But at one of the buffets there was a dedicated vegan section, it had a variety of healthy foods.
Adventures!
The resort offers SO many fun activities (all included of course!). I want to give a special shout-out to Mony and another activities guide, I believe his name is Francisco. We did the Jade River Adventure and also the Sensory Experience with Mony. She was absolutely wonderful and had such warm energy. I loved both activities; I actually got very emotional during the Sensory Experience to be honest, it was a great experience. With Francisco we did the Plant a Tree activity and I loved that too. He was super friendly (Mony was too) and contributed to us having a great time on our vacation.
We also rented bikes (free) and had fun with that. We spent a couple of hours at the water park. Probably more fun for kids, but going down the slides a few times was enough for me. We caught a show as well which was really cool (involved fire and awesome drumming!). Really, you won't be bored here. There are options for everyone, at every age.
The spa!
We had a great massage... actually two. Because we did that 2 hour long sales pitch on our 2nd day (actually wish we didn't, because it did take up a ton of time), it gave us a couple of discounts, one of which was a free massage. So we got our free massage, which was awesome, then made appointments for 80 minute massages. IT WAS AMAZING. I had the Sandos Special and loved it. The spa has a sauna, steam room, and these amazing baths. Hot tub is great! There is also a gym at the spa but I didn't use it.
Leaving the resort
It was easy enough to leave the property when we wished to; we signed up for a tour of Tulum right at the reception area at the tour desk. One night we want into the main part of town to check out 5th Avenue and a vegan restaurant I had read about (FYI, there are a ton of vegan restaurants in Playa del Carmen!).
Beach!
Lastly, the beach area. It's a really pretty strip of beach. You can definitely go in the water, just get some cheap water shoes and you'll be fine. The adults only section has a lot of day beds and lounge chairs to use. It did get a little crowded in that area but it was still nice.
All in all, a wonderful trip. The resort is a really clean place. Every day we discovered something new to do or see. I wish the resort pushed more vegan options to be honest, especially since it's so environmentally focused, but it certainly had more options and was more accommodating than other vacations we've been on. We can't wait to come back here!
Now let's get to the good stuff!
Adults Only - Worth it?
We stayed in the Adults Only section. The pool and hot tub in the area was nice, but it did get a bit crowded, and the hot tub wasn't as warm as I liked. The best hot tub is actually at the spa area, which anyone can use. The spa is wonderful, but we'll get to that. When we go back, I would stay in the adult section again, especially if it's on sale again. It's quiet. Only downside is that it's "far" from the rest of the resort. Room was lovely and kept clean every day. We didn't spend too much time in the room, but the bed was comfortable and everything was great.
THE ANIMALS!
As soon as we arrived we saw spider monkeys right outside our room. Actually we saw a baby, too! It made my whole trip. I loved the coati everywhere, as well as all the cats... Seeing the cats everywhere made me so happy. We also saw beautiful birds, and got to visit the macaw birds that are kept at the plant nursery. The farm animals looked well cared for, but we wanted to know more about them. Sadly we didn't get a chance to ask, they began renovating the farm animal space a couple of days into our trip.
Food
My boyfriend and I are both vegan, and we were assured that the resort would have great options for us. They have an on-site dinner restaurant that's completely vegan (well, one item had honey) and it was DELICIOUS! My only complaint for the vegan restaurant is that the portions were small, so we actually ended up going to a buffet later on in the evening for a bit more food. But the service at the vegan restaurant was great and we tried almost everything on the menu. Plus, it's right by the water, so it's really lovely to eat there at sunset with a great view. The other restaurants were accommodating for us, even making us our own pizza. We had a card written in Spanish that we carried around in case we had any issues with explaining our diet, it definitely helped. But at one of the buffets there was a dedicated vegan section, it had a variety of healthy foods.
Adventures!
The resort offers SO many fun activities (all included of course!). I want to give a special shout-out to Mony and another activities guide, I believe his name is Francisco. We did the Jade River Adventure and also the Sensory Experience with Mony. She was absolutely wonderful and had such warm energy. I loved both activities; I actually got very emotional during the Sensory Experience to be honest, it was a great experience. With Francisco we did the Plant a Tree activity and I loved that too. He was super friendly (Mony was too) and contributed to us having a great time on our vacation.
We also rented bikes (free) and had fun with that. We spent a couple of hours at the water park. Probably more fun for kids, but going down the slides a few times was enough for me. We caught a show as well which was really cool (involved fire and awesome drumming!). Really, you won't be bored here. There are options for everyone, at every age.
The spa!
We had a great massage... actually two. Because we did that 2 hour long sales pitch on our 2nd day (actually wish we didn't, because it did take up a ton of time), it gave us a couple of discounts, one of which was a free massage. So we got our free massage, which was awesome, then made appointments for 80 minute massages. IT WAS AMAZING. I had the Sandos Special and loved it. The spa has a sauna, steam room, and these amazing baths. Hot tub is great! There is also a gym at the spa but I didn't use it.
Leaving the resort
It was easy enough to leave the property when we wished to; we signed up for a tour of Tulum right at the reception area at the tour desk. One night we want into the main part of town to check out 5th Avenue and a vegan restaurant I had read about (FYI, there are a ton of vegan restaurants in Playa del Carmen!).
Beach!
Lastly, the beach area. It's a really pretty strip of beach. You can definitely go in the water, just get some cheap water shoes and you'll be fine. The adults only section has a lot of day beds and lounge chairs to use. It did get a little crowded in that area but it was still nice.
All in all, a wonderful trip. The resort is a really clean place. Every day we discovered something new to do or see. I wish the resort pushed more vegan options to be honest, especially since it's so environmentally focused, but it certainly had more options and was more accommodating than other vacations we've been on. We can't wait to come back here!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
3 Helpful votes
Helpful
Response from Web_Sandos, Director de Relaciones con Clientes at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Jan 19, 2019
Dear Rachel, Thank you for the great review of our hotel! We are glad that you enjoyed your stay, and that you took advantage of the many amenities our Select Club has to offer. Thank you for acknowledging the great job that our staff does, and noticing that it is through this detailed service that we were able to make a difference in your holiday experience. We hope to see you again very soon. Sincerely, Sandos Caracol Eco Resort.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
First and foremost, if you are looking through reviews on the Internet for this resort as you have booked a Holiday at Sandos, as i was a few weeks ago, DO NOT BE PUT OFF BY ANY BAD REVIEWS. I am 31, my partner is 26, we have just returned from a two week holiday here and have had a fantastic break. People who have written bad reviews on here have either just been incredibly unlucky and are in a VERY small minority, or just the kind of person that wants to moan and whinge because thats what they like doing!
Anyway, back to to the Sandos Caracol Resort, as that's what your here to read about ;) , prior to flying we signed up for the Sandos4U scheme on their website (it's free) and had E Mailed Tania Costa at the Resort as this can get you a free Room Upgrade (if available) and discounts when you get there. Unfortunately on our arrival no upgrade was available but we did have our Sandos4U membership honoured which got us discounts at the Spa. I would still reccommend signing up as we made some friends there and visited their 'Upgraded room'. It was very nice, it had a Jacuzzi Bath, Double sink and was a lot more spacious. That said we had a standard room and it was still very roomy and lovely, ice cold air conditioning (adjustable if too cold!), ceiling fan, huge Kingsize Bed, Double Wardrobe, Safe, Dresser chairs and massive mirror, Big TV and Mini fridge, gorgeous bathroom with massive walk in shower and view over the Main Pool and onto the Sea. We were greeted with a Bottle of Bubbly and plate full of fruit in our room aswell! First impressions very good! Oh, and to be fair the first room we were allocated was also a standard room but was on a ground floor and backed out onto what i can only describe as a dark Lagoon!! One upset girlfriend who was justifiably worried about Mossies and other tropical wildlife meant that a phonecall to reception was needed, within minutes a bell boy was at our door to drive us and our bags on his little cart to our new room (as described above), like i said, first impressions very good!! After settling in a small tip left on the bed every other day meant that our room was spotlessly cleaned every day and we were left Bath Sheets as opposed to 'normal towels', complimentary toiletries and what i can only describe as Towel Sculptures at the foot of our bed on a daily basis!! A similar small tip left in the Mini Fridge also meant it was stocked everyday as opposed to the advertised, every other day, and when i say stocked, i get the feeling the tip meant it was stocked to bulging with beer, soft drinks and water!! NICE!!
On the issue of wildlife, lots of people seem to worry about Mossies, IT IS MEXICO!! We took a few bottles of Jungle Formula Insect Repellant body Spray and the Boots one with DEET (well worth it) and were not really pestered at all. Got the odd couple of mossie nibbles but nothing of any note. You can also expect to see Iguana's, Racoons and Parrots to name a few of the local residents! All add to the experience though. Tip: watch the Racoons in the El Nido Bar, they can be a little too friendly, they will try and nick your drink and will try to nibble at you if they fancy it!!
Cound not fault the Bars and Food. As all inclusives go this was awesome, basically Food and Drinks (Alcohol or Soft) were available 24-7. There are several Al a Carte restaurants to choose from of which you are allowed three visits a week. Well worth booking them early at the Reception desk (between 8am-1pm) as they seem very popular. The Steak House (El Gaucho) and the Mediteranean (Riviera) were our favourites, but all were excellent, food and service cannot be faulted. The Main Buffet (La Laguna) was also fantastic, breakfast, lunch and dinner, variety was amazing, Breakfast especially. There is also a Snack bar in the Central Bar; El Nido, this does food around the clock and was also good if you just fancy some fries, Burgers (Chicken Breast or Beef Burger!), Fajita's or maybe some Tortilla's with Guacemole and freshly prepared Salsa!! Great!! Also there was a BBQ on the beach every day, this was simply Burgers or Sausages, but came with all the trimmings and sauces so if you want to stay on the beach and soak up more sun rather than get dressed and go back inside for lunch it's brilliant!!
ALL the staff are amazing. Everyone is always quick to give you a smile and a 'Hola'. From the Maintanence and Gardening Guys who are always busy making the grounds, etc look good, ranging to the Bar Staff and Restaurant Staff who are very friendly and approachable and working very hard to make you happy. Look out for a waiter called Manuel in the main La Laguna Buffet Restaurant he latched onto us (No, not the one from Fawlty Towers!) He was always quick with a smile and kept the drinks flowing and our table cleared without being intrusive, he's a legend!!
The Bars are great, if you like Bitter you'll be dissapointed, As it's Sol or another Local Lager on tap, but all the shorts are great, there is a huge selection and there are many branded international drinks, Bacardi, Martini Bianco, Martini Rosso, to name a few. There is a huge range of cocktails to have and the bar staff will give you a little extra and make any cocktail of your choice with a little direction and a tip always helping!! ;) I got hooked on Mojito's, mexican Style! very tasty! Oh, and if it's bubbly you want, you can have that to, whenever wherever!! Oh, and Tequila ofcourse!! in abundance!!!
Special shout out to the Entertainment (Animation team) a great bunch of guys and girls! they tirelessly work morning, afternoon and night to keep you entertained. That said though they are never too pushy to get you involved in stuff, if you want to chill out just say no thanks and that does the trick. They do loads of activities all day (Beach Volleyball became a habit of mine!) and then every evening are busy floating around and doing a show in the Theatre behind the Sports Bar EVERY night and every one cannot be faulted. Great Entertainment. The Beach Party show on a Friday and the Jazz Club Show we would reccommend. Look out for Israel and Suzy, BIG HI TO YOU GUYS!, if you see them soon say Hazel and James said hi, sure they'll remember us!! LOL. Seriously though, these guys, the whole Team, were brilliant in every way.
Activity and excursion wise we booked a Banana Boat with the guys who circulate around on the Beach looking for willing Jet Skiers and Parasailors (at a cost). This was 60 USD for 4 of us and was such a laugh, reccommended! Worth mentioning though again is that these guys aren't pushy and if you don't want to part with any cash just politely say no and they'll leave you alone! To be fair you can do Kayaking, Sailing, and Snorkelling for free as part of your Holiday from the guys in the huts on the Beach. We did the Kayaking and Snorkelling several times, great fun and all included! Plenty of Tropical Fish to see when Snorkelling!! Ace!! Outside of the resort there are plenty of excursions available to, we did the Bar Crawl into Cancun with our Rep and Coco Bongo Nightclub for 70USD each, all inclusive entry and drinks. This was a good night out, Coco Bongo is not to be missed (The Cancun one NOT the Playa Del carmen one), awesome place, all i would say about this excursion is the Coco Bongo show goes on well passed your 130am transfer back to the resort so if you want to see it all its a 30 quid taxi back in the wee small hours so that is something to consider. It's a Booze frenzy though before you get to Coco Bongo though so 130am may well be early enough!! LOL. Other excursions such as Xel Ha, Pirate Night Out, Catamaran and Dolphin Trips are also available, we just didnt have enough cash to do them all and when you're ALL INCLUSIVE in such a great place why leave every other day making dents in your wallett!!!
One Final thing to mention is the beach and sea as plenty of 'moaners' seem to have a go about that aswell. Yes, there are sand banks up to protect the shore line which does make it a little rocky and sludgy under foot but they are by no means an eye sore, and they make a great natural haven for loads of Tropical fish which makes Snorkelling awesome for all ages as you are enclosed in a relatively shallow area so enjoy!!
If you want to just chill in some peace and quiet away from all the 'goings on' in and around the Beach and Main Pool area there is the Adult only Pool with it's own Bar and the the Spa Pool. These are nice and quiet if you just want to chill and you can use the Spa Pool with Jacuzzi's, Steam Room and Sauna as part of your all inclusive package (you just have to pay for treatments, we had a massage! Very nice!!)
Worth mentioning also is the Main Pool. Again, whinging galore seems to be availale on here about illness from the pool and it's cleanliness. We had NO SUCH issues. There is a swim up bar which enevitably means there are probably a few drinks dropped in the pool and booze enduced relief being emitted into the water if you get me?!!? But that said we only had a few visits to this pool and just didn't swim in it very often for these reasons. There are plenty other places to swim and chill with a drink in hand so you didn't have to go here for that. The Pool was decent enough and we suffered no ill health whatsoever during our entire stay.
Just about the only gripes i would have is that the Restaurants can be very hot as the are not Air conditioned and just have ceiling fans, but that said they cant be as they are 'open' and you just get used to it. Also our Air conditioning Unit leaked a little in our room and it took three visits and a lot of phonecalls to get it sorted, when we left it still looked a little damp up there!! if you get Room 1012 keep an eye on it!! ;)
In Summary, Sandos Caracol gave us a fantastic time, the Resort, Accomodation, Bars, Food and Staff were all great. Families, Couples and Groups alike; go there and have a great time, we did!! Ignore the negative reviews, some people are just ridiculous, for the price you pay for this place it's amazing value for money in every way. I miss it and want to go back already!! Enjoy!! If you have any questions i'd be glad to answer them; j.carrington1978@hotmail.com.
Anyway, back to to the Sandos Caracol Resort, as that's what your here to read about ;) , prior to flying we signed up for the Sandos4U scheme on their website (it's free) and had E Mailed Tania Costa at the Resort as this can get you a free Room Upgrade (if available) and discounts when you get there. Unfortunately on our arrival no upgrade was available but we did have our Sandos4U membership honoured which got us discounts at the Spa. I would still reccommend signing up as we made some friends there and visited their 'Upgraded room'. It was very nice, it had a Jacuzzi Bath, Double sink and was a lot more spacious. That said we had a standard room and it was still very roomy and lovely, ice cold air conditioning (adjustable if too cold!), ceiling fan, huge Kingsize Bed, Double Wardrobe, Safe, Dresser chairs and massive mirror, Big TV and Mini fridge, gorgeous bathroom with massive walk in shower and view over the Main Pool and onto the Sea. We were greeted with a Bottle of Bubbly and plate full of fruit in our room aswell! First impressions very good! Oh, and to be fair the first room we were allocated was also a standard room but was on a ground floor and backed out onto what i can only describe as a dark Lagoon!! One upset girlfriend who was justifiably worried about Mossies and other tropical wildlife meant that a phonecall to reception was needed, within minutes a bell boy was at our door to drive us and our bags on his little cart to our new room (as described above), like i said, first impressions very good!! After settling in a small tip left on the bed every other day meant that our room was spotlessly cleaned every day and we were left Bath Sheets as opposed to 'normal towels', complimentary toiletries and what i can only describe as Towel Sculptures at the foot of our bed on a daily basis!! A similar small tip left in the Mini Fridge also meant it was stocked everyday as opposed to the advertised, every other day, and when i say stocked, i get the feeling the tip meant it was stocked to bulging with beer, soft drinks and water!! NICE!!
On the issue of wildlife, lots of people seem to worry about Mossies, IT IS MEXICO!! We took a few bottles of Jungle Formula Insect Repellant body Spray and the Boots one with DEET (well worth it) and were not really pestered at all. Got the odd couple of mossie nibbles but nothing of any note. You can also expect to see Iguana's, Racoons and Parrots to name a few of the local residents! All add to the experience though. Tip: watch the Racoons in the El Nido Bar, they can be a little too friendly, they will try and nick your drink and will try to nibble at you if they fancy it!!
Cound not fault the Bars and Food. As all inclusives go this was awesome, basically Food and Drinks (Alcohol or Soft) were available 24-7. There are several Al a Carte restaurants to choose from of which you are allowed three visits a week. Well worth booking them early at the Reception desk (between 8am-1pm) as they seem very popular. The Steak House (El Gaucho) and the Mediteranean (Riviera) were our favourites, but all were excellent, food and service cannot be faulted. The Main Buffet (La Laguna) was also fantastic, breakfast, lunch and dinner, variety was amazing, Breakfast especially. There is also a Snack bar in the Central Bar; El Nido, this does food around the clock and was also good if you just fancy some fries, Burgers (Chicken Breast or Beef Burger!), Fajita's or maybe some Tortilla's with Guacemole and freshly prepared Salsa!! Great!! Also there was a BBQ on the beach every day, this was simply Burgers or Sausages, but came with all the trimmings and sauces so if you want to stay on the beach and soak up more sun rather than get dressed and go back inside for lunch it's brilliant!!
ALL the staff are amazing. Everyone is always quick to give you a smile and a 'Hola'. From the Maintanence and Gardening Guys who are always busy making the grounds, etc look good, ranging to the Bar Staff and Restaurant Staff who are very friendly and approachable and working very hard to make you happy. Look out for a waiter called Manuel in the main La Laguna Buffet Restaurant he latched onto us (No, not the one from Fawlty Towers!) He was always quick with a smile and kept the drinks flowing and our table cleared without being intrusive, he's a legend!!
The Bars are great, if you like Bitter you'll be dissapointed, As it's Sol or another Local Lager on tap, but all the shorts are great, there is a huge selection and there are many branded international drinks, Bacardi, Martini Bianco, Martini Rosso, to name a few. There is a huge range of cocktails to have and the bar staff will give you a little extra and make any cocktail of your choice with a little direction and a tip always helping!! ;) I got hooked on Mojito's, mexican Style! very tasty! Oh, and if it's bubbly you want, you can have that to, whenever wherever!! Oh, and Tequila ofcourse!! in abundance!!!
Special shout out to the Entertainment (Animation team) a great bunch of guys and girls! they tirelessly work morning, afternoon and night to keep you entertained. That said though they are never too pushy to get you involved in stuff, if you want to chill out just say no thanks and that does the trick. They do loads of activities all day (Beach Volleyball became a habit of mine!) and then every evening are busy floating around and doing a show in the Theatre behind the Sports Bar EVERY night and every one cannot be faulted. Great Entertainment. The Beach Party show on a Friday and the Jazz Club Show we would reccommend. Look out for Israel and Suzy, BIG HI TO YOU GUYS!, if you see them soon say Hazel and James said hi, sure they'll remember us!! LOL. Seriously though, these guys, the whole Team, were brilliant in every way.
Activity and excursion wise we booked a Banana Boat with the guys who circulate around on the Beach looking for willing Jet Skiers and Parasailors (at a cost). This was 60 USD for 4 of us and was such a laugh, reccommended! Worth mentioning though again is that these guys aren't pushy and if you don't want to part with any cash just politely say no and they'll leave you alone! To be fair you can do Kayaking, Sailing, and Snorkelling for free as part of your Holiday from the guys in the huts on the Beach. We did the Kayaking and Snorkelling several times, great fun and all included! Plenty of Tropical Fish to see when Snorkelling!! Ace!! Outside of the resort there are plenty of excursions available to, we did the Bar Crawl into Cancun with our Rep and Coco Bongo Nightclub for 70USD each, all inclusive entry and drinks. This was a good night out, Coco Bongo is not to be missed (The Cancun one NOT the Playa Del carmen one), awesome place, all i would say about this excursion is the Coco Bongo show goes on well passed your 130am transfer back to the resort so if you want to see it all its a 30 quid taxi back in the wee small hours so that is something to consider. It's a Booze frenzy though before you get to Coco Bongo though so 130am may well be early enough!! LOL. Other excursions such as Xel Ha, Pirate Night Out, Catamaran and Dolphin Trips are also available, we just didnt have enough cash to do them all and when you're ALL INCLUSIVE in such a great place why leave every other day making dents in your wallett!!!
One Final thing to mention is the beach and sea as plenty of 'moaners' seem to have a go about that aswell. Yes, there are sand banks up to protect the shore line which does make it a little rocky and sludgy under foot but they are by no means an eye sore, and they make a great natural haven for loads of Tropical fish which makes Snorkelling awesome for all ages as you are enclosed in a relatively shallow area so enjoy!!
If you want to just chill in some peace and quiet away from all the 'goings on' in and around the Beach and Main Pool area there is the Adult only Pool with it's own Bar and the the Spa Pool. These are nice and quiet if you just want to chill and you can use the Spa Pool with Jacuzzi's, Steam Room and Sauna as part of your all inclusive package (you just have to pay for treatments, we had a massage! Very nice!!)
Worth mentioning also is the Main Pool. Again, whinging galore seems to be availale on here about illness from the pool and it's cleanliness. We had NO SUCH issues. There is a swim up bar which enevitably means there are probably a few drinks dropped in the pool and booze enduced relief being emitted into the water if you get me?!!? But that said we only had a few visits to this pool and just didn't swim in it very often for these reasons. There are plenty other places to swim and chill with a drink in hand so you didn't have to go here for that. The Pool was decent enough and we suffered no ill health whatsoever during our entire stay.
Just about the only gripes i would have is that the Restaurants can be very hot as the are not Air conditioned and just have ceiling fans, but that said they cant be as they are 'open' and you just get used to it. Also our Air conditioning Unit leaked a little in our room and it took three visits and a lot of phonecalls to get it sorted, when we left it still looked a little damp up there!! if you get Room 1012 keep an eye on it!! ;)
In Summary, Sandos Caracol gave us a fantastic time, the Resort, Accomodation, Bars, Food and Staff were all great. Families, Couples and Groups alike; go there and have a great time, we did!! Ignore the negative reviews, some people are just ridiculous, for the price you pay for this place it's amazing value for money in every way. I miss it and want to go back already!! Enjoy!! If you have any questions i'd be glad to answer them; j.carrington1978@hotmail.com.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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My husband and I spent a week at the Sandos Caracol from March 7 - March 14. It was a very relaxing vacation spent basking in the sunshine. We had a wonderful experience and truly feel this resort is a sold 4 star. We wouldn't give it a 5 star rating just because it wasn't "perfect" or luxurious. Not that I need that, but the Sandos meet every need we had.
I read many reviews before I left and opted to try the Sandos4U registration online and get the VIP member card to have access to upgraded features upon arrival. So let's start with arrival. I was very prepared to encounter the timeshare salespeople at the resort as I was aware that they would be there. However as soon as we stepped off the bus, a gentleman approached us with a clipboard, found our names, and motioned for us to set our luggage to one side. He told us he had our "welcome package", and to come sit and he'd get us a drink. We did, only to figure out he was a timeshare rep. I quickly and politely told him that I wasn't interested, and I just wanted to get checked in as it had been a long day and I was tired. He knew I was very serious and said "No problem. But if we changed our minds to come find him." They are dressed in white and the name tags say "Royal Elite". The bellmen are dressed in brown. That's who you want when you arrive! Oh and they will ask you multiple times if you walk past the lobby if "you had already recieved your welcome package". Just say yes and keep walking!
So, upon check-in I present my Sandos4U registration card. The gentleman looked and it and said, "Oh, yes". he then showed us where our assigned room was located and if we so chose the upgrade, where we would then be staying. He recommended the first room, not in the upgraded section as it was more to the centre of the resort. If we chose the upgrade we would be just off the lobby and far from the beach and restaurants. However we were next to the Select Club pool and the room was equipped with a jacuzzi. I really wasn't too concerned about the room or the location. I wanted the gold, VIP bracelet that came with the upgrade. This allowed access to the Select Club beach with the padded chairs, entry to the select club beach house and free WI-FI service. He was very reluctant to give us that. He told us the gold bracelets were $20 extra per person per night. I told him that was not my understanding of the Sandos4U registration. He just stood there looking at us for a moment, then returned with the bracelets. We took them and the upgraded room and checked in.
Everything else was very smooth going. The only a la carte we didn't dine at was the Brazilian. This was located at the Select Club pool snack place...it was transformed into the restaurant at night. This option and location was very unclear. We had heard from other guests that the Brazilian dining experience was the best of the 4 a la cartes. You can make reservations at any time for any of the a la cartes except the Steakhouse. That has to be reserved the day of. And you do have to line up very early. I think I was in line at about 7am and reservations started at 7:30am. I was about 10th in line. All of the a la cartes were very good, with us choosing the Mediterranean as the best. The Steakhouse was good as well, however we didn't get exactly what we had ordered, so we were a bit disappointed in that. We chose not to say anything. We just continued with our meal so as not to cause a disruption. The 3 buffets were very good as well. There was only one morning that we went to La Laguna for breakfast and it was to capacity so we had to go to the Italian buffet for breakfast. Much smaller and not as much variety. We ate at the 24-hour snack bar most days for lunch.
We spent all of our days on the beach. We only frequented the Select Club pool a couple of afternoons. We didn't ever see the 2 quiet pools as they are in the back of the resort. The noisy pool is just that...noisy! Great if that's what you're looking for. Games, activiites, swim-up bar. It was very busy but if you want to relax there are plenty of spots for that. If you want active, hang by the pool!
The spa was glorious. We went there every afternoon to unwind after the beach. Lots of wonderful services. Nice gym, hot tub, cold pool, sauna, and steam room. You could also pay for various services.
I opted for the 30 minute massage at the far end of the beach. Well worth the $25 for a nice outdoor massage therapy.
We took the free shuttle to Playa del Carmen twice. The 10am bus does fill up fast. We were in line an hour before hand, but it was sprinkling, so we didn't mind. We also took the 2pm bus one day and that didn't fill up near as fast. We took a taxi back one day for $10 US and returned on the 3pm bus one day. That was also full as people had spent most of the day there and were ready to return.
Overall, a wonderful, relaxing vacation. Would not hesitate to recommend this resort to all. We probably wouldn't return, but just because we like to try new places.
I read many reviews before I left and opted to try the Sandos4U registration online and get the VIP member card to have access to upgraded features upon arrival. So let's start with arrival. I was very prepared to encounter the timeshare salespeople at the resort as I was aware that they would be there. However as soon as we stepped off the bus, a gentleman approached us with a clipboard, found our names, and motioned for us to set our luggage to one side. He told us he had our "welcome package", and to come sit and he'd get us a drink. We did, only to figure out he was a timeshare rep. I quickly and politely told him that I wasn't interested, and I just wanted to get checked in as it had been a long day and I was tired. He knew I was very serious and said "No problem. But if we changed our minds to come find him." They are dressed in white and the name tags say "Royal Elite". The bellmen are dressed in brown. That's who you want when you arrive! Oh and they will ask you multiple times if you walk past the lobby if "you had already recieved your welcome package". Just say yes and keep walking!
So, upon check-in I present my Sandos4U registration card. The gentleman looked and it and said, "Oh, yes". he then showed us where our assigned room was located and if we so chose the upgrade, where we would then be staying. He recommended the first room, not in the upgraded section as it was more to the centre of the resort. If we chose the upgrade we would be just off the lobby and far from the beach and restaurants. However we were next to the Select Club pool and the room was equipped with a jacuzzi. I really wasn't too concerned about the room or the location. I wanted the gold, VIP bracelet that came with the upgrade. This allowed access to the Select Club beach with the padded chairs, entry to the select club beach house and free WI-FI service. He was very reluctant to give us that. He told us the gold bracelets were $20 extra per person per night. I told him that was not my understanding of the Sandos4U registration. He just stood there looking at us for a moment, then returned with the bracelets. We took them and the upgraded room and checked in.
Everything else was very smooth going. The only a la carte we didn't dine at was the Brazilian. This was located at the Select Club pool snack place...it was transformed into the restaurant at night. This option and location was very unclear. We had heard from other guests that the Brazilian dining experience was the best of the 4 a la cartes. You can make reservations at any time for any of the a la cartes except the Steakhouse. That has to be reserved the day of. And you do have to line up very early. I think I was in line at about 7am and reservations started at 7:30am. I was about 10th in line. All of the a la cartes were very good, with us choosing the Mediterranean as the best. The Steakhouse was good as well, however we didn't get exactly what we had ordered, so we were a bit disappointed in that. We chose not to say anything. We just continued with our meal so as not to cause a disruption. The 3 buffets were very good as well. There was only one morning that we went to La Laguna for breakfast and it was to capacity so we had to go to the Italian buffet for breakfast. Much smaller and not as much variety. We ate at the 24-hour snack bar most days for lunch.
We spent all of our days on the beach. We only frequented the Select Club pool a couple of afternoons. We didn't ever see the 2 quiet pools as they are in the back of the resort. The noisy pool is just that...noisy! Great if that's what you're looking for. Games, activiites, swim-up bar. It was very busy but if you want to relax there are plenty of spots for that. If you want active, hang by the pool!
The spa was glorious. We went there every afternoon to unwind after the beach. Lots of wonderful services. Nice gym, hot tub, cold pool, sauna, and steam room. You could also pay for various services.
I opted for the 30 minute massage at the far end of the beach. Well worth the $25 for a nice outdoor massage therapy.
We took the free shuttle to Playa del Carmen twice. The 10am bus does fill up fast. We were in line an hour before hand, but it was sprinkling, so we didn't mind. We also took the 2pm bus one day and that didn't fill up near as fast. We took a taxi back one day for $10 US and returned on the 3pm bus one day. That was also full as people had spent most of the day there and were ready to return.
Overall, a wonderful, relaxing vacation. Would not hesitate to recommend this resort to all. We probably wouldn't return, but just because we like to try new places.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Big resort with tons to do, drinks mixed super well and great entertainment team! Ricardo kept us busy dancing, playing and having a good time the whole week! Definitely check out the spa as well, steam room was the absolute best!
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Response from Web_Sandos, Web Relations Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Dec 4, 2019
Hi Taylor, Thank You for having taken the time to share your vacation experience with us at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. We really appreciate your input and recommendation in helping us to provide an exceptional service! Rest assured that we will provide your observations to the heads of the pertinent Departments and also let Ricardo know the praises you sent his way! We look forward to welcoming you back at your earliest convenience. Always at your service. Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort Email: webrelations.caracol@sandos.com
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.